Cinco de Mayo

Yesterday was "Cinco de Mayo", the day when the Mexicans won a victory over the invading French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  Except in the state of Puebla, the day does not even have the status of a legal holiday.  It is probably celebrated more in the U.S. where "gringos" use it as an excuse for drinking margaritas and Mexican beer. Many of them probably have no clue as to the date's significance or erroneously think that it is Mexican Independence Day.

For most Mexicans it is just another day, but there are two neighborhoods in Mexico City which stage reenactments of the battle.  One of them is San Juan de Aragón, where Alejandro's family lives.  Many residents participate enthusiastically in the reenactment, but others, such of Alejandro's family, view it as a nuisance.  For several days we have to endure the constant racket of canons, firecrackers and muskets (even though the actual battle lasted less than eight hours).  The main street is closed to traffic, and service of the Metrobus line that runs through here is suspended.  

There is quite a bit of drunkenness, even though alcohol sales are prohibited in the district during this time.  Sometimes, there are even injuries when people don't know how to use the muskets and canons safely.  As a result, in all these years, I have never been to the reenactment.  Yesterday, Alejandro had to run an errand, and he caught part of the parade prior to the battle.  Here are a few photos and videos that he took...

I did manage to take a photo of one of the neighbors and her daughter as they returned to the house to have lunch.

Shopping at Woolworth

 

As I have mentioned a number of times, Woolworth continues on in Mexico long after the last store closed in the United States.  Whenever I go to a Woolworth here, it brings back memories of walking to one in the shopping center at the end of my street in Ohio.  The Woolworths here don't have a lunch counter but they are mini-department stores with two floors.

Last week I stopped at the Woolworth on Insurgentes Avenue to buy some hangers.  Before I took the escalator to the upper floor where the housewares are, I stopped and looked at the men's clothing section.

Alejandro and I have been clothes shopping for our nephew Ezra.  He will begin high school next fall, and he will no longer be wearing a school uniform.  So, he needs to expand his wardrobe.  We have been buying clothes for him that we have found on sale at Sears and Liverpool.  I saw a number of shirts at a very low price here at Woolworth.

I ended up buying him two polo shirts and a buttoned shirt.  Each one cost the equivalent or 6 or 7 U.S. dollars.

I certainly don't need more clothes, but I couldn't resist these athletic shirts that were priced at 200 pesos... about 10 dollars.

My total bill for the five shirts plus the hangers was about 45 dollars.

As the jingle on their commercials says, "Woolworth es para ti"

(Woolworth is for you.)

 

The Answer is Always "La Comer"

"La Comercial Mexicana", commonly referred to as "La Comer" is one of the major supermarket chains in Mexico.  In their TV ads, such as this one or this one, one person asks another "¿Vas al súper o a La Comer?" (Are you going to the supermarket or to "La Comer"?)... followed by "La respuesta siempre es La Comer." (The answer always is "La Comer".)

I had never been to "La Comer", although I have been to City Market, a very upscale chain which is owned by "Comercial Mexicana".  I noticed from the window of the Metrobus that there is a humungous "La Comer" on Insurgentes Avenue, about two miles from the apartment.  Last Sunday I suggested to Alejandro that we check it out.

I was very impressed.  It is much larger than the City Market closest to us, and with its large array of gourmet and imported products there really is not a lot that City Market has that is not at "La Comer".

The aisles are wide, unlike the narrow ones at the Walmart near me.  (Plus, at Walmart they are always blocked by employees stocking the shelves.)  The entire store is spotlessly clean.

The produce section

An enormous selection of wines and liquors

The bakery

The tortilla section, and beyond that fish

People from the U.S. are always amazed that the milk in Mexican supermarkets is not refrigerated.  Because the milk is pasteurized at a higher temperature in Mexico, it can sit on the shelf, and does not need to be refrigerated until it is opened.

Lo and behold, they have imported Emmenthal and Gruyere cheese as well as cheese for raclette.  Now I can make Swiss recipes with authentic cheese!  City Market probably has these also, but the supermarkets close to me do not.

Besides groceries, "La Comer" also has housewares, electronics, toys, and clothing.

"La Comer" does not have the tapas bar or the gelato shop that City Market has.  However, they have a cafeteria-style bistro that features a menu of the day.  We decided to eat there.  The special menu includes salad, soup, a main course with rice and beans, tortillas or bread, a small dessert, and refillable "agua fresca" (fruit flavored water).

It was not gourmet dining, but the food was very tasty and very filling.  And the price was incredible.  All of this food for the two of us cost 298 pesos... that's 15.22 U.S. dollars or 7.61 per person.  A great value!

I will definitely be returning to "La Comer"!

 

Eating Out

 Last Saturday Alejandro and I went to a couple new (for us) places to eat.

Not far from the apartment is a restaurant that used to be called "Los Faroles" (The Lanterns).  Years ago, I went there a couple of times for breakfast, and although the food was good, the service was extremely slow.  The place apparently has new owners because it is now called "Fonda del Barrio" (Neighborhood Inn).  We decided to give it a try for breakfast.

We sat down at one of the outdoor tables, and we were waited on immediately.  The service was friendly and prompt.  So, that's a big improvement.  

However, it is one of those places that does not have a printed menu.  You have to upload it to your cell phone using the QR code on the table.  I hate those things.  I want to be able to look at an entire, full size menu without having to scroll through it on little phone screen.  (In the past, before I had a cell phone, I have actually walked out of those restaurants.)  So, that's one strike against it.

We both ordered omelets, and they were very good.

However, the restaurant does not give free refills of coffee.  I am not a big coffee drinker, but when we go out for breakfast on weekends, both of us usually drink three cups of coffee.  So that is another strike against the restaurant.  As a result, I don't think we will return.

That same day we tried to decide where to go out for supper.  Next to the park where I exercise, there is a Chinese restaurant called China Inn.  I have never seen many people there, but the reviews on Google Maps were good.  So, I suggested that we give it a try.  It was about 7:30 P.M., and the place closes at nine.  We were the only ones there.  Many of the items on the menu were large portions meant to be shared.  So, we shared a big bowl of wonton soup and a platter of Kung Pao chicken.

The food was very good.  Everything tasted very fresh.  We have been to P.F. Chang's at the World Trade Center a couple of times and had good meals.  But I like this place better.  We shall return!

This is a Drill

Last Tuesday, an earthquake drill or "simulacro" was held at 11:30 A.M.  

These drills have been held in Mexico City ever since the devastating quake of 1985.  They have been held each year on September 19th, the anniversary of that tragedy.  This year an additional drill was scheduled, and ten states besides Mexico City participated.

Tuesday morning I went to the park to do my exercises, and I had time to return to the apartment, shower and dress before 11:30.  I had some errands to do, so I left the building before the drill began.  I walked over to the World Trade Center to watch.

There were plenty of people who had already left the World Trade Center.  There were also many from the police, fire and civil defense departments on the scene.  The people in the orange vests are members of the World Trade Center's evacuation brigade.

One worker handed me a flyer on earthquake safety procedures.

Outside the World Trade Center there are signs indicating where people from different floors of the building should meet after evacuating.

These are similar to the signs which you frequently see painted on the sidewalks throughout the city.

At 11:30 the earthquake siren went off.

If there really were an earthquake, I don't think it would be a good idea to stand under this enormous metal arch by the World Trade Center!

As I said, I had some errands to run, so before the drill was over, I headed up Insurgentes Avenue.  The Metrobus was shut down during the "simulacro", and there were long lines of people waiting for the stations to reopen.  So I walked to where I needed to go.

As I walked up the avenue, even a half hour later, there were workers from offices buildings lined up waiting to be allowed to return inside.

Earthquakes are very much a part of reality for the people of Mexico City.  The quake of 1985 which killed tens of thousands of people was a traumatic experience.  Perhaps I am being naive, but I do not lose any sleep over the possibility of another "big one".  I have experienced several minor tremors.  I have even felt the ground shaking beneath my feet.  However, it seems that there has been a major, deadly earthquake in Mexico City about every 30 years, at least during my lifetime.  There was one in 1957, the disastrous one of 1985, and the most recent one in 2017.  I figure that if there is another one in the 2040s, I won't be around to experience it.  

Furthermore, the neighborhood where I live, as well as the neighborhood where Alejandro's family lives, have not experienced major damage or casualties in quakes. The former owner of my apartment told me that she saw this building when it was being built, and it is constructed upon bedrock.  Much of the city, however, is built on former lake bottom.  That spongy soil magnifies the seismic waves, and those areas suffer the worst.

I know what to do in case of a quake, but I am not going to spend my life worrying about it.

(Knock on wood!)

It's May

Today is the first of May, which is a legal holiday in Mexico.  As in many countries, today is the equivalent of Labor Day in the U.S.

My calendar, which I had custom-made with photos that I have taken of archaeological sites in Mexico, has this picture for May...

Uxmal is one of the most beautiful Mayan sites in the Yucatan Peninsula.  I have visited it a number of times.  (In fact, when I have played tour guide for friends and family in Mérida, Uxmal has always been a "must see" excursion.)

This structure is all that remains of a large temple quadrangle which was probably one of the oldest buildings at Uxmal.  The open-work of the decorative roof combs would have been covered with stucco decorations and painted.  It reminded the Spaniards of a dovecote, a structure for housing doves or pigeons, and it was they who gave this building its fanciful name. 

For the Kids

Today, April 30th, is Children's Day (Día del Niño) in Mexico.  Children often receive gifts from their relatives, and parties are held in the schools.  (Alejandro's nephew Ezra, now in his last year of junior high, is too old for Children's Day.)

A children's festival was being held on the Zócalo for the entire week, so last Saturday, Alejandro and I decided to check it out.

The Zócalo was jammed with people.

The festival included what was billed as the world's largest inflatable castle.

It wasn't opening (for children only) until later that afternoon.

Alejandro posing in a silly umbrella hat that he bought from a vendor.

After a while he took it off because it was giving him a headache.

There were tents where the kids could play games, do artwork and participate in educational activities.

The fire department was dressing the children as firefighters and letting them pretend that they were putting out fires with hoses.

The kids could go inside an ambulance, a firetruck and a police car.

They could try out their skills on a small soccer field.

There was a tent with a dinosaur display.

And there was a small zipline.  (In Spanish they call it a "tirolesa".)

We quickly grew tired of maneuvering through the crowds under a broiling sun.  We left the festival and went to a nearby rooftop café to relax and cool off with a cold drink.